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explore | history
Twenty
Years in the Life of the Sanctuary
January
1981
The day before leaving office, President Jimmy Carter signed the bill
to create the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
1982 - 83
Management, research, and education plans and programs are developed by
the Sanctuary. A Sanctuary office is established at Point Reyes National
Seashore. Interpretive rangers located at Point Reyes National Seashore
educate visitors about the new Sanctuary.
1984
The ship Puerto Rican spills 1.4 million gallons of oil in the Sanctuary.
1986
Oil barge Apex Houston spills approximately 20,000 gallons of oil between
San Francisco and Long Beach Harbor. At least 9,000 seabirds (including
6,000 Common Murres) are killed.
March 1987
First symposium on research within Sanctuary held at Point Reyes National
Seashore. The symposium becomes a biennial event.
1988
The Sanctuary office moves to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
in San Francisco.
August 1989
The Central California Coast Biosphere Reserve (now Golden
Gate Biosphere Reserve) is dedicated. This unique ecosystem includes
the Sanctuary and is recognized internationally.
October 1989
The Loma Prieta earthquake causes a slide that later closes Highway 1
south of Stinson Beach. The Sanctuary monitors repair work to Highway
1 involving the dumping of debris into the ocean.
1990
Santa Rosa sewage project to dischage waste water into the Sanctuary is
stopped.
1991
The Sanctuary takes over management of recently designated (1989) Cordell
Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Sanctuary celebrates its ten-year anniversary.
1992
The Sanctuary moves to new offices at the old Coast Guard Building at
Crissy Field in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is established.
The Sanctuary takes on management responsibilities of the northern section
of Monterey Bay Sanctuary from Rocky Point in Marin County to the San
Mateo - Santa Cruz County border.
Intertidal monitoring program on South Farallon Islands begins.
Abalone tagging monitoring programs are established.
A
Guadalupe fur seal is seen on Southeast Farallon Island. This is the first
verified identification of this seal on the Island this century.
The
Sanctuary participates in radioactive waste dumpsite sampling cruise.
Sampled sediment and long-lived fish from the shallow dumpsite.
1993
Beach Watch Volunteer program is created. It is the first volunteer program
in the Department of Commerce and in the National Marine Sanctuary System.
1994
Southern end of Bolinas Lagoon is restored as part of mitigation for dumping
during
Highway 1 repairs in 1990 into the ocean
near the Sanctuary.
Toxic waste and landfill are removed. With new technology, radioactive
barrels from an old dump site are located and photographed on the sea
floor by a joint research project funded by US Geological Survey, the
Navy, the Environmental Protection Agency and Sanctuary.
Ashy
Storm-petrel population assessment finds that 40% breed on the Farallon
Islands.
May 1995
The Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association is created.
Intertidal monitoring on the mainland is started at seven sites.
1996
The Sanctuary celebrates its 15th anniversary.
Attempts to re-establish a Common Murre colony at Devil's Slide Rock begin
in January as restoration for the Apex Houston oil spill. By July, three
Common Murre chicks fledge at Devil's Slide Rock; the first chicks to
fledge at the rock since the early 1980s.
Northern fur seals begin breeding on the West End Island at South Farallon
Islands; the first recorded northern fur seal pups sighting there in 170
years.
The Beach Watch Program is cited in the Congressional Record as a significant
volunteer program of the Department of Commerce.
Sanctuary Manager Ed Ueber receives commendations from Congresswoman Nancy
Pelosi and the California State Assembly. He also is named an "Ocean
Hero" in association with the Smithsonian's Ocean Planet Exhibit.
The first issue of Hydrosphere is published in the fall.
President Clinton visits Sanctuary office and staff.
In October, an oil spill occurred from the Cape Mohican tanker that was
drydocked in San Francisco. The oil went out the Golden Gate and washed
ashore from Sonoma County to Santa Cruz County. The Coast Guard and California
Fish and Game Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) recognized
the Beach Watch program and its volunteers as vital in the response and
cleanup.
The SEALS program is established to document the impact of human activity
on harbor seals in Tomales Bay and Bolinas Lagoon.
The Sanctuary funds and participates in a very sucessful High School Docent
program at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Montara.
April 1997
The Beach Watch program and its volunteers are honored with NOAA's Environmental
Hero award.
Fall 1997
Karen Duncan is the Sanctuary's first Teacher-at-Sea and assists with
research aboard the NOAA ship McArthur.
November 1997
Tarballs are discovered at Point Reyes National Seashore. This is the
first time the Coast Guard responds to a major incident without finding
an oil spill. This incident is ongoing and tarballs are found washed ashore
through February of 1998.
1998
The U.S. Geological Survey and the British Geolgical Survey conduct a
follow-up cruise with the Sanctuary to investigate radioactive levels
at an old dump site on the continental shelf.
August 1998
The first National Marine Sanctuary visitor center is established for
Sanctuary in the Presidio by FMSA. In just five months there are 4,500
visitors. In 1999, there are 12,300 visitors and in 2000 the total number
is 19,217.
September 1998
Beach Watch responds to the Command oil spill off of San Mateo County
coast. Fine funds are obtained by the Gulf of the Farallones NMS for itself
and Monterey Bay NMS.
1999
The Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association initiates a Responsible Wildlife
Viewing program to educate boaters how to view wildlife without disturbing
them.
Spring 1999
The National Marine Sanctuary System and National Geographic Society start
the Sustainable Seas Expedition (SSE) at Sanctuary. The major thrust of
the program is education and testing research methods at all the National
Marine Sanctuaries. The
Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association,
National Marine Fisheries Service and Sanctuary staff train to become
submersible pilots.
May 1999
Farallones
Marine Sanctuary Association sponsors the
first Sanctuary Marine Sanctuary Fair.
Summer 1999
Sanctuary's emergency response plan is developed by Farallones
Marine Sanctuary Association.
Fall 1999
Sanctuary coordinates Northern and Central California harbor seal census.
2000
Farallones
Marine Sanctuary Association begins Visitor
Center school programs.
Farallones
Marine Sanctuary Association Executive Director
Maria Brown is honored with NOAA's Environmental Hero Award.
November 2000
New Common Murre exhibit is dedicated at the Pacifica Visitor Center.
The visitor center is a cooperative effort involving Sanctuary, Farallones
Marine Sanctuary Association, Golden Gate
National Recreation Area and the Pacifica Chamber of Commerce, established
in 1998.
High school intertidal monitoring program is established at Duxbury Reef
by Sanctuary Teacher-at-Sea Kathy Soave and Farallones
Marine Sanctuary Association.
2001
-Sanctuary celebrates its 20th Anniversary.
- Compiled by Leslie Grella and Paul Wong
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